Makeup Review & Swatches: KIKO Sales Haul - Nail Lacquers, Lipsticks, Lipliners, Dark Circle Concealers, Cream Crush Eyeshadows + Bronzer!

KIKO have fast become one of the most popular budget beauty brands on the makeup scene with many high-performance products and dupes galore. They do some amazing 50-70% off sales, so during their most recent one, I decided to take advantage and picked up all of the above.

KIKO are an Italian brand who came over to the UK a couple of years ago (back in 2012 IIRC?). Their launch caused something of a frenzy amongst bloggers and makeup junkies alike because their products are cheap as chips, with many items being great quality and performing just as well as  their higher end equivalents.

I currently love their Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows and recently discovered the Velvet Touch Creamy Stick Blushers (one of which I featured in my June Favourites here). When I spotted their online sale, I couldn't resist placing a cheeky order! Here's what I got:-

KIKO Nail Lacquers

KIKO have an extensive range of Nail Lacquers with lots of unusual and creative shades. I'd heard good things about their formulas too, so I chose these three to try out as I was on the hunt for some darker, more vampy nail colours to add to my collection. These were on sale for about £2 or £2.50 each.

497 Pearly Indian Violet is the much-hyped dupe for Chanel's Taboo and is such a gorgeous rich burgundy meets purple shade with a touch of blue micro glitter for added depth and shine. Seriously in love with this one! 

255 Violet Micro Glitter has a vivid purple base with lots of fun holographic glitter for a stunning galaxy-esque finish.

374 Pearly Chocolate Noir is a rich dark chocolate with fine gold shimmer - completely different to anything that I already own and a truly mesmerising shade on the nails.

I'm really happy with all three of these and the formula was also great - easy to apply with a good brush in two coats and lots of shine. They last on my nails around 3-4 days before starting to chip so not bad at all! 

KIKO Nail Lacquers [from L-R]: 497 Pearly Indian Violet, 255 Violet Microglitter, 374 Pearly Chocolate Noir.

KIKO Lipsticks

Like the Nail Lacquers, KIKO have a wide selection of lipsticks available in different formulas and finishes. I was in the mood for some new nude shades and ended up with these three in my basket; one from the Luscious Cream line, one from the Velvet Mat Satin line and one from the cheapest Smart Lipsticks range. I think these were about £2ish each - bargain!

KIKO Luscious Cream Lipstick in 507 Peach Rose

Pretty, everyday, pinky nude - you can't wrong with a shade like this. Good creamy formula that feels comfortable, but it's not overly moisturising as it does cling to dry patches.

KIKO Velvet Mat Satin Lipstick in 601 Nude Rose

This has a classic satin matte / semi-matte finish and feel which is comfortable and doesn't feel too drying. Great staying power and this particular shade Nude Rose has tiny touch of a browny/pink undertone to make it a gorgeous wearable nude.

KIKO Smart Lipstick in 901 Natural Neige

The Smart Lipsticks are described as 'rich and nourishing' but I'd say they're more light and glossy, or at least this one is anyway. You can build up the colour or just swipe and go for something more natural looking as you can see above. 901 is a light beige nude on me and I like it a lot for that pale Kim K look. 

KIKO Smart Lipliners

I've seen a lot of raves for KIKO's Smart Lipliners (like the Smart lipsticks, these are part of one of the cheapest ranges available), so naturally I had to get a couple to test out, especially as they were only about £1.50 each! The formula of these are really good - they're creamy and easy to apply without any stiffness or dragging. I generally wear lipliners all over like in the swatches below, but you can of course use them in the traditional way and they pair very nicely with lots of other lippies in my collection. They don't feel overly drying and they're long lasting, fading down to an even stain.

KIKO Smart Lipliner in 700 Light Sienna

A classic true nude/neutral shade that doesn't wash me out - looks amazing with a smokey eye! 

KIKO Smart Lipliner in 703 Rosewood

This is the one I've had my eye on for ages but it was always sold out, so I'm over the moon to finally get my hands on it. It's a stunning coral/rosy pink - beautifully pigmented and perfect for summer.

KIKO Smart Lipliner in 712 Rose Mauve

I was looking for an everyday mauvey pink and this liner 712 ticked the box immediately. Pretty without being too girly.  

KIKO Dark Circle Tone Eraser & Concealer

I'm a big concealer junkie and saw this duo in a special value set in the sale (I think it's now sold out though, sorry!). The Dark Circle Tone Eraser is a yellow based corrector but I don't use it under my eyes. I used to think that yellow toned concealers helped to brighten dark circles, but for my skintone, they seem to make my undereye area look sort of grey and ashy - not a look that I want. Instead, I like to use yellow concealers like this one to even out my skin tone and any pigmentation areas, as my complexion has a natural yellow/olive undertone to it and this KIKO one works perfectly for that purpose. It feels light, blends easily, doesn't go cakey and works really well underneath foundation.

The Dark Circle Concealer on the other hand, is OK but nothing amazing. I went for the lightest shade which is 01 Porcelain after seeing some swatches online. It's got a good pinky undertone to it, but I wouldn't say it's a light shade at all and I imagine it would be far too dark for anyone with a pale, English rose complexion. It suits me thankfully, but I'm not so taken with the finish of it. It applies smoothly at first, yet it's quick to settle into any fine lines and clings to any and all dry patches. This can be remedied with a hydrating eye cream or primer before application and some setting powder though, so not all is lost. Overall it provides decent medium coverage but it's one that requires a little extra effort to work.

KIKO Cream Crush Eyeshadows 

A lot of bloggers have recommended these Cream Crush Eyeshadows to me and I can now see what all the hype is about! These cream eyeshadows have a buttery soft, airy texture to them and you can apply them so easily with just a finger swipe across the eyelids if you're in a rush in the mornings. They don't crease on me and they hold up incredibly well throughout the day with zero smudging or fading issues.

The two shades that I got are 04, a purple/greyish matte taupe and 06, a shimmery warm-toned chocolate colour. I could happily buy every shade of these!

KIKO Bronzer Powder

Lastly, I chose the KIKO Bronzer Powder on the recommendation of my friend Sophie who has been singing its praises since last year. This mineral based pressed bronzer comes in a sleek compact with a handy mirror and has NARS-esque rubberised packaging. The bronzer itself is silky soft and I got the middle shade 102 Chocolate Tan which is a good match for my light olive skin tone and has a tiny amount of fine shimmer. It adds a lot warmth and delivers an easy healthy holiday glow without being OTT - I love it. 

Swatches! KIKO Bronzer Powder in 102 Chocolate Tan, Cream Crush Eyeshadows in 06 and 04, Dark Circle Tone Eraser in 01 Yellow and Dark Circle Concealer in 01 Porcelain.

Are you a fan of KIKO?

Anything catch your eye here?

Follow me on: BlogLovin' | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest